Cal Poly’s women’s track and field team won its first Big West Conference championship at the University of California, Irvine, totaling 181.5 points to lift the trophy. The team score was the conference’s highest since 2015.
In the closest event of the day, the women’s 100-meter hurdles came down to a thrilling, classic photo finish. After a formal review, Cal Poly’s Molly Ross and CSUN’s Brisa Guzman-Sanchez were declared co-champions, each tying at 13.75 seconds. Both registered exactly 13.744 seconds to share 9 points apiece.
Ross came back to the track about an hour-and-a-half later for the 400-meter hurdles, adding a second-place contribution there, in 1:00.58, giving herself a combined 17 points from the hurdles.
Anisa Rind won the women’s 400-meter crown at her first Big West meet, taking the title in 56.36 seconds. Cal Poly swept the medal stand, as Cassidy Hubert and Julianna Ruotolo followed in 56.69 and a season-best 56.82. Belle Aduaka added to the lead as well, scoring in seventh place via 58.14.
The 4×400-meter relay unit finished off the women’s team championship in style, winning the event in 3:48.48, as Ross, Rind, Ruotolo and Hubert put the Mustangs’ score over the 180-point mark.
The men’s team also performed well at the event, coming in a close second place in their finals with 157 points, just six points short of Cal State Fullerton.
Justin Robison won the men’s 1,500 meters in 3:44.68, dominating while moving to No. 8 in school history for the event. His title came with the fastest effort around the league during the past nine years of championships.
The postseason for both teams will continue regionally at Texas A&M from May 26-29 for the NCAA West Preliminary Round.
Read more at gopoly.com.
